http://www.hutchnews.com/sports/ncaa/article_4e5fe3b1-90fe-5e3e-a476-dbc40dc4e829.htmlAfter seeing him play in person Saturday, I can say this scene perfectly symbolizes Andrew Wiggins' season as a Jayhawk. Anytime he does something, he effortlessly does it with breathtaking talent-even answering media questions. But we often wonder why we don't see him display this prowess at a higher frequency.
Last week, I saw one of those NBA Draft forecasts on Sportscenter. I was baffled that Wiggins, who'd been pegged the best prospect since Lebron James before he stepped foot in Lawrence, was now pegged to go third overall.
Thus, when I went up to Lawrence, my view of the game was pretty myopic because I mainly focused on watching Wiggins. I wanted to see what he was doing to merit the sudden stock slippage.
I came away even more bewildered.
Never have I seen a more gifted college basketball player who continually made my jaw drop. Scary thing was it all appeared so utterly effortless.
Shockingly, Kansas really didn't too much to highlight his talents. There were few screens run for him, plays drawn for him.
Watching Wiggins play for the Jayhawks almost has the feeling of seeing someone on probation.
On offense, Wiggins would often linger over in a corner, confined to a small area of space to maneuver around in. On numerous possessions, he never even got to touch the ball.
When he'd get the ball, he could easily beat any of the defenders TCU put in his vicinity off the dribble. He could get the rim anytime he wanted to in a lithe, smooth, yet powerful fashion.
But rarely would Wiggins do this. He'd pass up shots he easily could make to get his teammates better looks.
During the occasions Wiggins did aggressively attempt to score, it was like watching a concert pianist perform. He'd glide to the rim off the dribble and score in the paint. He'd use his pretty stroke and athleticism to get off a solid mid-range look. Additionally, he drained a three with 18 seconds left in the first half to give Kansas a seven point lead.
Name a way to score, Wiggins displayed it on Saturday.
Then, of course, Wiggins provided his patented, highlight reel moment of the day five minutes into the second half. Wiggins' head was almost hitting the rim as Ellis' alley oop pass sailed slightly behind him. Wiggins was able to readjust his body easily at such a high elevation. In total control of his body, he reached back to get the pas and brought it all the way forward in one motion to finish off a powerful slam.
These offensive moments didn't come close to telling the whole story, though.
During the first half, TCU's Kyan Anderson torched the Jayhawks with 21 points. In the second half, Wiggins was sent to guard him on several possessions. Anderson, who stands 5-foot-11, couldn't get anything remotely going against Wiggins. Wiggins blanketed him, flustered Anderson with an impressively long wingspan. Somehow, the 6-8 Wiggins was able to guard the speedy little guard with relative ease.
On the night, Wiggins finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Every time he scored seemed like an event and left me wondering how he was featured so minimally on offense. When other famously celebrated freshmen such as Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, and Carmelo Anthony were taking the nation by storm, they had the green light nearly all the times. They had offenses catered to their strengths.
Wiggins, arguably more talented than any of them, doesn't have that luxury. Sadly, he is getting penalized unjustly for it.
This season, Wiggins is surrounded by numerous other underclassmen in a complicated system. They're competing for a national title, and Wiggins' selflessness and restraint while agreeing to be on a tight leash is somehow getting strictly scrutinized.
He's a stellar teammate and handling all of the insanely high expectations and criticisms leveled on him with a smile.
Part of me feels slightly jaded. Part of me wants to watch Wiggins get free-reign to wow me continuously for 40 minutes. Wiggins playing for the Jayhawks feels like Prospero agreeing to give up his magical powers in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."
Still, I feel lucky to have had a front row seat to see Wiggins at this stage of his career. He truly lived up to the hype.
I'm fully convinced any team that passes on him will feel like Portland did after picking Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan and Greg Oden over Kevin Durant. Although his talents are a tad hidden in Lawrence this year, he's learning about winning and the importance of fitting into a team enviorment. The fact this could scare NBA brass seems ludicrous to me.
This season, the state of Kansas is getting glimpses of Wiggins' magic. But it won't be until the NBA when we'll get to see it at its zenith.
